The Minor Consult

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes neurologist and author Pria Anand, MD, for a conversation about the power of narrative in neurology. They explore how symptoms such as sleep paralysis and confabulation — the brain’s tendency to fill gaps in memory — can illuminate how the brain works, and how culture shapes the way people experience, interpret, and describe illness. They also discuss what the brain’s sto...

In this episode of the Big Ideas series, Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Joseph DeSimone, PhD, professor of translational medicine and of chemical engineering at Stanford University, for a conversation about how advances in materials science and precision manufacturing are opening new frontiers in medicine. They explore DeSimone's pioneering innovations in polymer-based drug delivery, biodegradable sten...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes William Brody, MD, PhD, president emeritus of Johns Hopkins University, for a conversation about leadership, critical thinking, and lessons from his career spanning academia, medicine, and entrepreneurship. They discuss insights from Brody's 2026 book "Uncommon Sense: Rethinking Ordinary Problems in Extraordinary Ways," including the roles of preparation and opportunity i...

In this episode of the Big Idea series, Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Freddy Abnousi, MD, vice president of health technology at Meta and an interventional cardiologist, for a conversation about how artificial intelligence and augmented reality have the potential to transform preventative health care. They discuss how ambient AI, wearables, and smart glasses can capture valuable health information fro...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Eric Horvitz, MD, PhD, chief scientific officer at Microsoft, for a conversation about the rapid evolution of AI and its implications for how we think, work, and make decisions. They discuss the accelerating pace of AI advances, the need to safeguard human judgment and agency, and the growing role of these technologies in health care — from easing administrative burden to...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Dhruv Khullar, MD, contributing writer to The New Yorker and associate professor at the Weill Cornell School of Medicine, for a conversation about AI’s evolving role in health care. They discuss its potential to enhance diagnosis, reduce administrative burden, improve the patient experience, and accelerate drug discovery, while also examining the risks of overreliance and...

In this episode of the Big Idea series, Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Lucy Shapiro, PhD, for a conversation about how her unconventional thinking unlocked new insights about how bacterial cells behave, fundamentally changing how scientists understand cells and laying the groundwork for systems biology. They explore how her research informed new approaches to treating infections and other diseases, and...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Sarah Soule, Dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, for a conversation about how leaders, organizations, and the GSB itself are evolving in a rapidly changing world. During the GSB’s centennial year, they explore the school’s leadership model — emphasizing self-awareness, perspective taking, communication, and deep listening — and how its entrepreneurial cultur...

In this episode of the Big Idea series, Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Eric Topol, MD, author of Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity, for a conversation about why immune health may be more important than genetics in promoting healthy aging. They explore how lifestyle factors like sleep, diet, and exercise strengthen the body’s defenses, shaping longevity beyond our genes. They also dis...

In an episode of his Big Idea series, Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Stanford neuroscientist Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD, for a conversation about how his groundbreaking research is reshaping our understanding of the brain and the experiences that define us as human. They delve into the origins of optogenetics — a revolutionary technology Deisseroth pioneered using light to map how the brain drives emotio...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Jeremy Kahn, award-winning journalist and AI Editor at Fortune , for a conversation about the transformative potential and societal risks of artificial intelligence. They discuss opportunities for AI to accelerate medical breakthroughs and personalize education, as well as the threat of overreliance on AI to critical thinking, writing, and social skills. They also explore...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Regina Dugan, CEO of Wellcome Leap, for a conversation about how to tackle complex global challenges through bold innovation. They discuss why emotional engagement is essential to achieving scientific progress, how high-risk, high-reward models can translate to health research, and the importance of addressing underfunded areas, such as women’s health. They also explore s...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes JPMorganChase Vice Chairman Peter Scher for a conversation about the evolving role of corporate responsibility and its intersection with business strategy. They discuss Scher’s leadership in JPMorganChase’s $200 million investment to revitalize the city of Detroit, as well as the firm’s work in other urban environments supporting business and growing communities. They als...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Thrive Global CEO Arianna Huffington for a conversation about the connection between mental health and physical health and how tiny changes to behavior can have a profound impact. They discuss the transformative moment that led to Arianna’s pivot to wellness in 2016, and they explore the potential for AI to democratize personalized health coaching and make a meaningful di...

In a special episode recorded in front of a live audience, Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Stanford’s legendary women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer for a discussion about her extraordinary 40-year career. They discuss the coaching philosophy that led her teams to three NCAA Championship titles and an Olympic gold medal, along with her approach to developing talent and fostering resilience. They als...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Daphne Koller, PhD, founder and CEO of insitro, for a conversation about AI’s potential to transform drug discovery. They discuss how machine learning algorithms can accelerate the drug design process, quickly identifying biological patterns and predicting outcomes. They also explore the challenges and opportunities of founding a startup in Silicon Valley, and how insitro...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Dr. Karen DeSalvo, Google’s Chief Health Officer, for a conversation about how AI can help inform and advocate for patients while supporting clinicians and increasing access to care around the world. They discuss AI tools that Google has developed to accelerate diagnostics, particularly in lower-resource areas, and they explore the potential for AI to serve as a personal...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD, director of the federal Center for Medicare at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, for a conversation about supporting holistic health care through the country’s government insurance program for seniors. They discuss Medicare’s role in advancing prescription drug affordability and the importance of family caregivers and community wo...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Michael Pfeffer, MD, chief information and digital officer at Stanford Health Care, and Nigam Shah, MBBS, PhD, the health system’s chief data scientist, for a conversation about how AI is being used to augment health care. They explore how AI is helping clinicians access troves of data to inform patient care and how it’s helping ease their clerical burden, allowing more t...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes John Torous, MD, director of digital psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, for a conversation about AI’s potential to expand access to mental health care and enhance diagnosis and treatment. They discuss how AI can help detect mental distress from an individual’s digital footprint and how it can use data to inform personalized care plans. They also explore t...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Dr. Brian Anderson, co-founder and CEO of the Coalition for Health AI, for a conversation about guiding the responsible development and use of AI in health care. They discuss how government, technology companies, health systems, and patient groups are working together through CHAI to create standards for safe and effective AI tools. They also explore CHAI’s work to build...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes legendary musician Paul Simon for a conversation about his latest album “Seven Psalms,” and what it was like to lose hearing in his left ear as he was writing and recording it. In addition to Simon’s musical influences and songwriting process, they discuss his advocacy and involvement with the Stanford Institute to Cure Hearing Loss; and they explore Simon’s views on lead...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Anne Wojcicki, CEO and co-founder of 23andMe, for a conversation about how personal genetics can empower consumers to drive healthier futures. They discuss how 23andMe has evolved over nearly two decades, including pioneering direct-to-consumer genetic testing. They also explore challenges and opportunities of partnering with health care providers, the potential for genet...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman for a conversation about the joy of performing, the importance of practice, and how musicians hone their unique sound. They discuss the nuances of teaching music, the connection between audience and performer, and how Perlman’s musical expression has changed over a career spanning six decades. They also explore some of Perlman’s most memorab...

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Carolyn Bertozzi, PhD, 2022 Nobel laureate in chemistry, professor of chemistry and director of Sarafan ChEM-H at Stanford University, for a conversation about her journey breaking barriers in scientific research. They discuss how her early passion for organic chemistry laid the foundation for her prize-winning work, and how the new field that she founded, bioorthogonal c...